Garment hangers



Sept. 25, 1962 R. HOLLINGSWORTH GARMENT HANGERS Filed Nov. 24, 1959 Fig. 5

United States Patent Office Patented Sept. 25, 1962 3,055,565 GARMENT HANGERS R. Lee Hollingsworth, 110 Fox Blvd., Massapequa, N.Y.

. Filed Nov. 24, 1959, Ser. No. 855,141

Claims. (Cl. 223-91) The present invention relates to garment hangers. The prior art in this field is extensive, however the present invention provides new methods of arranging and supporting garments on hangers, which keeps the garments in better condition and facilitates the transport of said garments.

The invention broadly stated comprises clamping means for a coat or garment hanger formed or fabricated out of desired material, the top being shaped to properly support a mans jacket or a ladys shirtwaist, and on a lower section thereof, a clipboard type of clamp is provided for inserting the trousers, when supporting, carrying or transporting the garment, and in a lower section, containing a cutout area with enlarged preferably offset support area made for the purpose of receiving and supporting the folded garment or trousers, said clamp disposed to apply pressure to prevent the pants from slipping within said cutout or knockout area.

Another embodiment of the invention comprises means for also clamping the trousers and other garments particularly at the cuffs, whereby a hinge arrangement provides the clamping at the cuffs or at a higher position along the pants legs. This clamping arrangement is suitable for clamping and supporting any garment desired, such as skirts, stockings, etc., said embodiment also having a cutout or knockout area preferably with enlarged supporting area.

Another embodiment comprises clamping means wherein the hanger has two lower areas in which the trousers fit and are clamped between as the two lower areas are securely fastened together, and also having within a cutout or knockout area an enlarged supporting area.

The invention therefore, comprises a first means for properly supporting coats, jackets, shirtwaists and the likes thereof, and a second means comprising a part of the first said means, which further comprises a clamping means for holding and supporting garments such as pants, shirts, skirts, etc., upon first said means.

My invention is briefly described as follows.

The detailed description of my invention is as follows, wherein like parts are so numbered in the various drawmgs.

FIGURE 1 shows a frontal section of one embodiment of the invention having an expanded shoulder support area.

FIGURE 2 shows a side view of the frontal and a back section both being hinged together at the bottom corners.

FIGURE 3 shows the same embodiment of FIGURES 1 and 2 without the shoulder support area, and illustrates a clamping means across the top of the front and back sections.

FIGURE 4 shows an embodiment of the invention as illustrated in FIGURE 3, that shows additionally an alternative means of clamp fastening the front and back sections together, the back section, as example, shown without the hanger handle portion at its top.

FIGURE 5 shows another embodiment of the invention.

FIGURE 6 shows a cross sectional veiw of FIGURE 5 taken along a line from A to B.

The detailed description of the present invention is as follows, wherein like parts are given the same identification in the various drawings.

In FIGURE 1, numeral 20 represents a frontal section of the garment hanger invention in its preferred form. A handle 21 is preferably made or fabricated as a part of each of the said sections, and may also be a part of the back sections of the invention. Each of said handles have weight center detents 22, to fit the hanger onto a supporting rod in a manner to insure equal weight distribution across the said rod at the center of detent 22. A horizontal cutout area 2 3 is made in the central area of each of the sections 20 and 20a (FIGURE 2) to receive folded garments such as. trousers. At the right and left lower corners the sections 20 and 20a are shown hinged together at 24. This hinged arrangement may take any form of hinging, and may have the areas to be hinged together, formed to be fitted together and disposed to clamp garments between the said sections 20 and 20a, or be separated each from the other to form two separate hangers of substantially conventional types. The cutaway area 24a between the hinges 24 provides space for feeding one or more pairs of trousers upward and out through horizontal cutout area 23. The shoulder supporting area and means is shown at 2312. This may be a formed area made by pressing if the section be made of metal, or if formed in another manner by a molding process. Although not shown, the shoulder supporting areas may be made of separate units or material and clamped, cemented or pressed onto, or otherwise mounted, on the top area of sections 20 and 20a.

FIGURE 2 shows a side view of FIGURE 1 in a clamped or locked-up position such as would clamp garments between the two sections 20 and 2042. At 23a is shown a side view of a slightly curved and expanded bottom supporting area of horizontal cutouts 23. This shape of the supporting areas 23a prevents wrinkling or creasing of garments when folded and passed through either or both of the horizontal knockouts of sections 20 and 20a.

FIGURE '3 is substantially a duplicate of FIGURE 2 but without the shoulder expanded area supporting means 23b (FIGURE 1). An alternative clamp fastening means is shown at 25 which may be made of leather, plastic material or metal which passed across the tops of sections 20 and 20a and cooperates with a suitable fastening means 25a such as a button and buttonhole, or a male and female fastener, thus tieing the two sections 20 and 20a securely together in a manner to clamp garments placed between the two sections 20 and 20a with pressure bearing across the garments.

FIGURE 4 shows an alternative clamp fastening means comprising male fitting 26 and female fitting 26a that are properly fitted through or attached to sections 20 and 20a. In this embodiment of the invention the handle 21 is not used on section 20a, and the hinge 24 is preferably not intended to be readily detachable to allow 20 and 20a to be separated.

Another generic embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, wherein FIGURE 5 shows a garment hanger capable of supporting a coat or jacket over a curved shoulder, back and chest area as illustrated having a supporting hook and handle 21 at its top center. A horizontal cutout or knockout area 23 is provided to receive garments such as folded trousers indicated at 27 in the same manner as heretofore described. In this embodiment however, the hinged arrangement between the front and back sections 20 and 20a, is at or near the top of the garment hanger. Male and female fastening means 26 and 26a serve to illustrate that after trousers 27 are inserted between the bottom areas 20 and 20a and along the rigid clamping area 28, the trousers are securely clamped to hang from the cuff area and is not subjected to wrinkling. One or more pairs of trousers may be passed upwardly and between sectional parts 20 and 20a and extend out of areas 23 across expanded base areas 23a. Sections 20 and 20a in this embodiment of the invention may comprise separate sections and be fastened together at the tops, or effectively hinged at the top. The

effective hinging here may comprise the bendability of the sections 20 and 2011 they being joined or made of one piece of material to allow the two bottom areas to be spread apart to receive trousers to be clamped securely from possible wrinkling even when being transported from one location to another. It is to be especially appreciated that the upper bulged area of FIGURES 5 and 6 may be formed and shaped as desired to facilitate the proper form supported for garments such as coats and jackets, and additionally provides the trouser support and the clamping means of the invention.

While I have set forth a clear description of the present invention, I do not propose to be limited except by the claims, and the fact and adaptability taught in this specification and drawings.

I claim:

1. An article of manufacture comprising a garment hanger, said garment hanger having two sectional members, each of said sectional members comprising a separate garment hanger having a trouser pass-through area, hinge means at the two bottom corner areas connecting the two sectional members, the area upwards and between the said corner areas left open to provide an opening to receive garments when the sectional members are spread open from the hinge means for passing trousers through said pass through areas in said sectional members, fastening means to hold closed said two sectional members to clamp garments by pressure between said two sectional members.

2. The invention in accordance with claim 1 in which the upper portion of said sectional members are expanded in opposite directions to form when together an expanded shoulder support area, each of said trouser pass-through areas broadened at their bottoms to increase the hanging support area within said pass-through areas.

3. An article of manufacture comprising a garment supporting means including a main supporting area having a hanging means at its top, said main supporting area comprising two sections and hinged together at the lower two corners, a recessed central area within the lower area of said main supporting area between said hinges, each of said two sections having a pass-through area having an enlarged base area to receive folded trousers between said two sections when opened apart at their top to receive trousers passed through said pass-through area, said trousers then clamped within said pass-through area by bringing together said two sections, and a means for fastening said two sections together to retain pressure on said trousers within said pass-through area.

4. An article of manufacture comprising a garment hanger having an expanded upper portion for hanging and supporting a jacket garment and forming a first downwardly extended supporting means, a substantially identical second downwardly extended jacket supporting means and hinged to said first means and each said means having horizontal trouser pass-through area therein with broadened base areas and disposed to receive folded trousers, fastening means between said first and said second means for holding the two said means together to clamp said trousers under pressure.

5. An article of manufacture comprising a garment supporting means including, a shoulder supporting area having a hanging means at its top center, said shoulder supporting area having a front and back area formed downward from said shoulder supporting area of said garment supporting means, said shoulder supporting area further extended downward forming two flat sections, fastening means for said flat sections to hold folded garments positioned between said two flat sections, said flat sections having pass-through areas to receive folded garments, the bottoms of said pass-through areas extended and curved outwardly from said two flat sections.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 871,175 Myers Nov. 19, 1907 1,284,674 Hermanson Nov. 12, 1918 1,510,915 Bartholdi Oct. 7, 1924 2,355,984 Lupton Aug. 15, 1944 2,448,673 Kohl Sept. 7, 1948 2,535,521 Schoepfer Dec. 26, 1950 2,576,612 Latvala Nov. 27, 1951 2,617,565 Suydam Nov. 11, 1952 2,648,907 Nicholson Aug. 18, 1953 2,875,931 Monteleone et a1. Mar. 3, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 132,027 Sweden June 19, 1951 

